Category: Email Marketing

Get sophisticated! Top tips to take your email marketing to the next level by Jenna Tiffany.  Available from <http://www.fourthsource.com/email-marketing/get-sophisticated-top-tips-take-email-marketing-next-level-21516>. [October 25, 2016]

Your marketing strategy might be delivering results today but if you’re not planning for the future and the possibility of potential disruptors shaking up your industry, you could be putting your business at risk of failing, and losing out to other players in the market that are ahead of the curve. Comet, Woolworth’s and Blockbuster have something in common – they closed down because they failed to adapt to customer expectations and adapt to modern day times. Blockbuster didn’t invest in digital and fell behind when the likes of Netflix came on the scene. Many customers were dissatisfied with Blockbuster failing to understand their needs including their return and late fee policies. Companies such as Netflix came along and addressed the issues consumers faced when it came to renting films. You must identify what areas of your marketing strategy are working and the areas that need improving. If you don’t, another company could come along at any moment and take your customers. 

Almost 90 per cent of adults regularly use the internet, according to the Office for National Statistics, and this change in consumer behaviour means marketers need to adapt to reflect consumer’s daily habits. People expect a real-time, personalised experience and companies such as Amazon are constantly raising the bar for what is expected, especially with the recent launch of Amazon Dash. Technology is enabling personalisation that cuts through the noise when so many brands continue to send mass market messages.

The way people consume and filter emails is changing in response to consumer expectations. Year on year email sends are increasing by 28 per cent, according to our recent Benchmark Report. The inbox is getting busier, so your emails need to stand out amongst your competitors to engage current and future customers.

For many businesses, their email marketing is basic or, more worryingly, non-existent. Email is one of the biggest drivers of ROI in the marketing mix and as a result it can’t be ignored. Personalisation is very important for engagement, but many brands are failing to implement a tailored approach with their email marketing strategy. We know that emails with personalisation get opened 23% more than emails with none. Further to this, emails with multiple pieces of personalisation get opened 31% more than those with one. You can’t deny the power of personalisation!

It’s important to understand that challenges and limitations exist around developing a more strategic approach to email marketing. Data is the greatest challenge to email marketers, closely followed by ‘limited internal resource’, according to the DMA. Having a framework in place to map-out your journey to sophistication can help you to deal with these challenges and provide a timeline for success.

Adapting your email marketing strategy to increase sophistication could place you steps ahead of your competition. But, where do you start? Our sophistication scale and supporting guide can help you out:

1. Where are you now and where do you want to be?

How much ROI is your email marketing strategy delivering? 54% of TFM attendees this year didn’t know the ROI of their strategy! Identify how effective your email marketing strategy is and the results you are generating at present. Is it what you thought? If not, are you lacking key elements such as personalisation and sending emails for the sake of it with no considered plan or strategy? Once you know where you sit, you can identify your ambitions and define your next steps.

2. Engage your stakeholders from the start

When altering your email marketing strategy, you may find that you need to change some mind-sets within your business, such as an approach of ‘blasting out’ as many emails as possible. Getting buy-in from all stakeholders at the very beginning will mean you can set strong foundations for the new strategy from the get-go.

3. Identify your goals and objectives

Determining your email strategy from the start is really important. Map out your goals, analyse your performance in terms of what works well, identify opportunities and areas for improvement and set goals and objectives so you have something to strive for.

4. Place your customers at the heart of your strategy

Your customers (whether they’re prospective or current) should always sit at the centre of your email marketing strategy. Before you put your email marketing strategy in place, stop and think about what the benefit is for your recipient. Consider how your email journey adds value to your customer’s experience with your brand, service and product. If it’s not delivering the experience consumers expect and require, change it to reflect your customer’s needs.

5. Analyse and evaluate

Regularly ask yourself what’s working really well and what could be improved? Benchmark your performance against competitors in the industry to see where the opportunities are and to ensure you are always applying context to your activity.

Get sophisticated! Top tips to take your email marketing to the next level by Jenna Tiffany.  Available from <http://www.fourthsource.com/email-marketing/get-sophisticated-top-tips-take-email-marketing-next-level-21516>. [October 25, 2016]

5 Tips to Keep Your Marketing Emails Out of the Trash Folder by Charles Vance.  Available from <https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2016/oct/12/5-tips-to-keep-your-marketing-emails-out-of-the-trash-folder/>. [Wednesday, October 12, 2016] Photo Credit: Public Domain Picture

On a typical day, the average professional receives about 100 emails and, according to a recent study, that number is only expected to grow. The average professional also is in the routine of quickly scanning the inbox and deleting emails that don’t quickly catch their attention. It can be tough for any email these days to not end up in the trash bin.

So how can you make your company’s marketing emails stand out in a sea of doomed correspondence?

If you want to get your email opened, the subject line has to be enticing and relatable. This can make or break an email. Give your recipients enough information to know what they are about to read, but not too much. You want to lure them in for the great content inside.

Your recipients are more than likely pretty busy on any given day. So make your email easy to browse. Once they open your email, they need to be able to quickly scan through and get to the information they want and need. Break up the content into short, concise paragraphs. Be sure to include headers and images that grab their attention and pop off the screen.

These days, people read a lot of email on the go. You must optimize your emails to be viewable on smartphones. Use a mobile-responsive design that looks good on smartphones and tablets to be sure your email always looks its best. You may even want to focus more on the mobile layout than the desktop layout, as more than 60 percent of people now view emails on mobile devices.

Make sure it’s simple to subscribe to your email list. A lot of companies have success with signup forms on their homepage. You can also ask for signups on your Facebook page, Twitter page, company blog and, really, anywhere you engage with your customers on a regular basis.

Speaking of customers, if you want help growing the subscriber list, enlist their help by making your emails shareable. Only send content that your audience will want to share, and make it extremely easy for them to share it by adding social media buttons or links within the content.

Email marketing is a smart way to reach your customers, but you need to do it right. Too often, companies race to get the information out without taking the time to make sure that information will ever even be read. Be sure to follow these tips to ensure you’re giving your audience the information they want and to ensure they avoid immediately deleting when you are the sender.

5 Tips to Keep Your Marketing Emails Out of the Trash Folder by Charles Vance.  Available from <https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2016/oct/12/5-tips-to-keep-your-marketing-emails-out-of-the-trash-folder/>. [Wednesday, October 12, 2016] Photo Credit: Public Domain Picture

Believe It Or Not! You Can Get More Leads Without Generating Web Traffic  by Judy Caroll.  Available from <http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/believe-not-can-get-leads-without-generating-web-traffic-01662809#zQQH8SPYH3YhRdrF.97> [September 23, 2016]

In B2B marketing, perhaps no two words are as important as Traffic and Conversion. These two spell the difference between being in the black and being in the red. But you probably already know this by now: More web traffic does not always mean more leads. Traffic that does not convert is useless. That’s really unfortunate. Luckily, you can still increase your leads production without necessarily increasing your web traffic. Convenient, right?

Here are surefire ways to increase your conversion – meaning, turning traffic into leads – without actually increasing your web traffic.

Amplify your Unique Selling Point

I said amplify. Not just state or declare or put it there for all to see. Maximize and optimize it by making sure it grabs the viewers’ or readers’ attention the moment they see it, or at least, creates a strong connection with them. A convincing declaration of your unique selling point can build trust and keep prospects on the page longer than they originally intended.

Pro tip: Use “action” words, not just passive words. And yes, sell the solution to their problem, not your product. Don’t be too salesy like a snake oil salesman.

Simplify your Home Page

Really, just KISS it, or “Keep It Short and Simple”. Or “Keep it Simple, St****.” The simpler your homepage is, the easier for the viewers to navigate through it and find what they need and want. Just make sure it answers these questions:

#1: What does your product or service offer?

#2: How will your product or service solve my problem? Explain the benefits you provide, not the features.

Don’t make the common mistake of talking about yourself at length. Harping about your accomplishments will bore, if not totally turn off your viewer.

Pro tip: Remember, the homepage is yours, but it’s about the customer or client or guest. If it’s about them, they’ll stay longer.

Make your Headlines & Contact Information Visible

It’s the goal of the webpage to at least generate inquiries. If your headlines can’t be seen, what do you think would make any visitor want to learn more from it? Make sure your headlines attract the visitors’ attention as soon as their eyes land on the page. And that “Contact Us” page? It’s not just for display. You really have to make an effort to make it as user-friendly as possible – make it visible and easy to read. No fancy fonts, please. If can make your contact number(s) so conspicuous the visitor doesn’t have to look for it, so much the better.

Pro tip: You have to make the visitors feel confident in you, in your product or service or whatever you’re selling.

Offer Incentives

What sounds better than freebies? Rewards! Incentives! Bonuses! Use the psychology of free stuff. I don’t know, but there’s something about those words that give them a really nice ring when spoken. Positive reinforcement almost always works, and it’s true especially in marketing. When you add something extra – like a reward or bonus – to your unique selling point, it’s easier to close the deal with the visitor. Offer a “money-back guarantee” or “free replacement” or “lifetime warranty” and chances are, you’ll clinch the sale.

While you have already effectively differentiated your product or service from the competition through your unique selling point, the incentive to bonus or reward adds value to the whole thing, and even builds a deeper client-business relationship.

Pro tip: Your message should be “You can’t get from others what I’m offering you.”

Focus on Outbound

The previous four tips focus on optimizing the webpage. This last one is a no-brainer in terms of increasing leads without increasing web traffic volume. Why not try some of the most effective outbound marketing strategies?

Event marketing is a simple and easy way to interact with prospects and turn them into leads. Experiential event marketing is even better, as it goes beyond the mere physical presence of people at an event. Here are some unconventional event marketing campaigns, find out why they totally worked.

And of course, there’s good old targeted telemarketing if you want fast results. Whatever medium you choose, the most important thing is choosing an efficient and effective third-party service provider.

Pro tip: Do not settle. When you’re outsourcing, you simply do not settle for mediocre results.

Conclusion

One key takeaway here is, when you implement something new, make sure it’s measurable so you’ll know what works for you and what doesn’t. More importantly, don’t stop trying testing new things. Observe what your competitors are doing successfully that you may apply to your own. If you don’t think imitation is the highest form of flattery, then just make it your inspiration.

This post originally appeared at The Savvy Marketer’s Blog

Believe It Or Not! You Can Get More Leads Without Generating Web Traffic  by Judy Caroll.  Available from <http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/believe-not-can-get-leads-without-generating-web-traffic-01662809#zQQH8SPYH3YhRdrF.97> [September 23, 2016]